Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

ततो गंगासरिच्छ्रेष्ठा पूर्वसागरगामिनी । स्थापयामास तल्लिंगं शिवभक्तिपरायणा

Transliteration

tato gaṃgāsaricchreṣṭhā pūrvasāgaragāminī | sthāpayāmāsa talliṃgaṃ śivabhaktiparāyaṇā

Translation

پھر گنگا—دریاؤں میں سب سے برتر، جو مشرقی سمندر کی طرف بہتی ہے—شِو بھکتی میں یکسو ہو کر اُس لِنگ کو قائم کر گئی۔

Word by Word

• tataḥ: thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = indeclinable adverb; अर्थे: तस्मात्/अनन्तरम् (thereafter)

• gaṅgā-sarit-śreṣṭhā: Gaṅgā, the best of rivers
• gaṅgā-sarit-śreṣṭhā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṅgā (प्रातिपदिक) + sarit (प्रातिपदिक) + śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (gaṅgāyāḥ saritām śreṣṭhā) = ‘best of rivers, (namely) Gaṅgā’

• pūrva-sāgara-gāminī: going to the eastern ocean
• pūrva-sāgara-gāminī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक) + sāgara (प्रातिपदिक) + gāminī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (pūrvam sāgaram gacchatīti) = ‘going to the eastern ocean’

• sthāpayāmāsa: installed / caused to be set up
• sthāpayāmāsa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धा॒तु) + ṇic (प्रेरण)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; causative sense (ṇijanta) = ‘caused to be established/installed’

• tat-liṅgam: that liṅga (emblem)
• tat-liṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः = ‘that liṅga’

• śiva-bhakti-parāyaṇā: devoted to Śiva-bhakti
• śiva-bhakti-parāyaṇā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhakti (प्रातिपदिक) + parāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः = ‘devoted/wholly intent on devotion to Śiva’

Speaker

Śiva (deduced from surrounding Māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgeśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gaṅgā, personified as a radiant goddess, installs (pratiṣṭhā) the Gaṅgeśvara-liṅga in Prabhāsa, surrounded by sages and ascetics; ritual vessels, flowers, and flowing water motifs emphasize her devotion to Śiva.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Śiva
• Liṅga (Gaṅgeśvara context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the most sacred river embodies devotion by honoring Śiva; tīrthas are founded through bhakti expressed as consecration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gaṅgeśvara liṅga site within Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-sthāpana (installation of a Śiva-liṅga) is the central sacred act described.